Ripples On The Water
by R-Chan Aka Rwar-Chan XD
Summary: A trip to a traditional Japanese castle has some pretty bad effects on Kazahaya... namely that he gets kicked out of his own body by one of the spirits that resides there...


Now, reading over this fic, it looks like its where my style started to mature somewhat. I originally wrote this based on a dream I had XD; Warnings include shonen-ai and so on... And I wrote this long before Eerie Queerie was released! XP (well, in English anyway)

* * *

Kazahaya gasped, sitting bolt upright.

Ah, awake now...

He sighed, wiping his forehead. Bad dreams always got him worked up… But not as much as the ones with Rikuou… They creeped him out… He was faintly aware of Rikuou having whispered in his ear again in a warm, soothing voice… The bastard…

"Wow, I didn't even have to do anything and you get up straight away."

"Huh?" The lighter haired boy blinked, turning to find Rikuou standing over him with an amused smirk on his face.

"Have another dream?"

"Shut up!" Kazahaya yelled, clutching the bed covers tighter.

The darker haired boy crossed his arms superiorly, closing his eyes.

"Its your turn today. Get a move on."

"HRMF!"

What a jerk… just because he acts so cool and superior he thinks he can push me around? I'll show him…

Kazahaya glanced down at his pillow, his fingers slowly tightening.

"Please and thank you would be nice for a change…" He growled.

"Just get on with it."

"No."

"Huh?" Rikuou blinked, surprised at the sudden retaliation, "What do you mean 'no'? Work starts in 15 minutes…"

"I said NO! Not until you use some manners you jerk!"

"…."

The darker haired boy raised an eyebrow before making a small, amused grunt… and walking away.

"Hey! Where're you going?"

"To make myself some breakfast. You can stay up here all day if you want, but don't blame me if Kakei gets mad…Then again…" Rikuou turned to glare with dark, leering eyes, "That'd be all the more amusing for me."

"BASTARD!" Kazahaya roared, furiously charging over to attack the taller boy with the not so dangerous pillow, "WHY-DO-YOU- HAVE-TO-BE-SUCH-A-JERK-WHY-CAN'T-YOU-TREAT-ME-AS-AN-EQUAL-FOR-ONCE-WHY-DON'T-YOU-JUST?"

"Kazahaya."

"WHAT?"

"Shut up."

"NO!" The lighter haired boy yelled, still futilely attacking his companion (most of the strikes hitting his chest – a bemused expression on his face). "YOU THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU SAVED ME YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME! THAT YOU CAN BOSS ME AROUND! THAT-"

He gasped as Rikuou's stronger hands tightened around his slender wrists, pulling them away.

"LET-GO!"

"Kazahaya, make breakfast…" He leant forward, lips whispering against his ear, "…_Please_."

"WHA-heh?" Kazahaya blinked, the pillow falling to the ground.

He wasn't absolutely certain whether he should be pleased at the victory (Rikuou_ had_ said please), or if he should return to yelling (Because of the voice).

In the end he decided to just nod blankly before going to get on with it.

What else could he do?

-

"A job?"

"Yes, I know it's a little different but…" Kakei shrugged cheerfully, "It'll be fun."

Kazahaya nodded brightly, "Un! What is it? Where is it? Will I have to go with-WA!"

"You're asking more questions than usual BOY…" Saiga smirked, arm curled around the lighter haired boy's slender waist.

"I-I was just wondering…ah, ano…" Kazahaya blushed, trying to pull away as the man in shades rested his head on his shoulder, "A-ano …"

"Of course, you will be accompanied by Rikuou." Kakei beamed.

"Ah." Disappointment showed through in the lighter haired boy's voice, "Ok… What is it?"

"You need to get this fan…" The shops owner held out a photo, Kazahaya cautiously taking it.

"It looks pretty old…"

"Its an antique."

"Ah."

"Anyway, you and Rikuou will be staying in this castle … you'll be part of a tour group of 10 people."

"A castle?" Kazahaya looked semi-enthusiastic, "cool…"

"Yes, its supposed to be haunted."

"Heh?"

-

On the bus…

"Ghosts… mou, why'd I agree to all this? (ghosts hate me…!)"

"I told you to ask more questions before you take these jobs." Rikuou smirked, watching the other fret and fidget.

"I _did_! But Saiga-san kept _touching_ me!" Kazahaya wailed, "I don't like it…!"

"Wimp."

"How'd you like it if someone kept groping you when you least expect it?"

"Never happened."

"That's because you're so cold… You put people off because you're so cold…" The lighter haired boy grinned, flicking his companion's shoulder.

"And you don't because you're so pretty."

"Exa-NO! I'm just more emotionally warm than you!"

"Warm as in you complain all the time?"

"SHUT-UP!"

"hrmf."

Kazahaya snarled, clenching a fist in Rikuou's direction.

He had a feeling the next couple of days were not going to be fun at all…

-

"Wow, its so cool!" squealed a little boy, running off excitedly, shortly followed by his two brothers.

Their parents sighed in exhaustion (you could tell they were trying their best).

There was also a nice old couple, a historian, a doctor, a priest, a nice young lady in her mid-twenties…

…And our two protagonists.

"I feel kinda out of place…" Kazahaya murmured.

"If its you, then…"

"SHUTUP."

"Welcome to Akihitate castle…!" Two geikos bowed as the guests reached the door, "Please leave your luggage in the lobby. They will be taken to your rooms whilst we give you the tour…"

"Ne, ne!" One of the little boys piped up as everyone walked through the grand entrance, "Are there really ghosts here?"

"Of course" One geiko beamed.

"Several" continued the other.

"What kind of ghosts? Are they scary?"

"No, they're quite gentle… Although…"

"There is one…"

"what what? Is it mean?"

Kazahaya shivered.

"What's wrong? Scared already?" Rikuou smirked.

"I just got a chill is all!" The lighter haired boy hissed "Probably from you…"

"Alright, let us begin our tour here in the lobby…!" The geiko's chorused.

"152 years ago today the young lady of the house fell in love with one of the young men of the village…"

-

It was gone sundown by the time the tour reached the cellars… luckily the last room. The two geiko's had produced traditional looking lamps to guide the way.

"So that's the young girl… the maid… the 5yr old boy…. The grandfather… The hare… 5 completely unthreatening ghosts…" Kazahaya sighed.

"A little sceptical aren't we?" Rikuou sighed.

"Would you be scared of a bunny ghost?"

"Hares aren't rabbits." One of the boys glared up at him.

"Huh."

The two geikos stopped, turning to smile eerily at the guests. The fact the light from the lamps they were carrying were casting sharp shadows, masking parts of their faces, helped no end.

"Our last story is here in the cellars…" One beamed.

"No-one's certain just what happened, but every autumn… when the moon is full and the night sky is clear…"

"A cold chill and mysterious scent of jasmine fills the air…"

"A melancholy feeling fills all those who come near… The sound of a young man's weeping coming from the darkness…"

"And those who should be foolish enough to set foot into the darkness… May never return…"

"Heh?" Kazahaya blinked.

"Why, why?" One of the little boys asked enthusiastically.

"Its said the ghost that resides here is so lonely, it'll make anyone it can stay with him…"

Someone in the crowd scoffed… probably the historian.

"Okay then!" The geikos cheerfully proceeded back towards the stairs, "We'll take you to your rooms…! Dinner will be in an hours time, so please feel free to explore…!"

The guests all followed, talking quietly.

All except Kazahaya….

"Jasmine?" He whispered, staring into the darkness. "Jasmine is the flower of… of dreams?"

He took a step back. Just how did he know that anyway?

It was so quiet down there… And the place had so much history… He really didn't want to accidentally get sucked under by it all… But it was peaceful there…

He slowly closed is eyes.

So quiet… And the smell was musty, not sweet like flowers…

And it was cold…

Something suddenly echoed at the back of the room, from the darkness, causing him to snap back to reality.

"A-ano?" He looked around nervously, suddenly realising he had been separated from the group.

That wasn't good…

"He-hello?"

It was creepy being alone in the dark like this… The sound echoed faintly once more, making him jump.

He called again, anxious. "Hello? Is anyone… anyone there?"

Silence.

More silence.

Kazahaya sucked in his breath.

This was getting too creepy…

Too quiet…

"Oi."

"WAAAAAAA!" The lighter haired boy screamed, leaping away and waving his arms desperately in defence, "GO-AWAY-GO-AWAY-GO-AWAY!"

Rikuou stood, blinking before leering in amusement.

"Did I scare you?"

"R-RIKUOU? YOU BASTARD! YOU SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME!" Kazahaya gasped for breath, clutching at his heart.

"Well if you're going to stand around day-dreaming…" The darker haired boy smirked, turning away.

"SHUT-UP!"

-

It was quite late into the evening by the time dinner ended, many of the guests returning to their rooms to get a good nights sleep.

Kazahaya sighed, collapsing onto his futon.

Their room was pretty nice… a little antiquey, but nice all the same…

The carved, traditional furniture added to the historical atmosphere, but of course the sliding doors did that from the moment he had seen them... And a beautiful round mirror, frame engraved with a phoenix in flight, was hung elegantly above the cupboard….

He was kind of glad that Rikuou's futon was situated on the other side of the room.

"Ah" the lighter haired boy sat up, glancing at the door to find his companion walking out, "Oi, where are you going?"

"For a walk…"

"Isn't it a little late for that?"

The darker haired boy turned to smirk at him, "Are you worried about me?"

"N-NO!"

Rikuou gave an amused grunt before sliding the door closed behind him.

"Jerk."

Kazahaya huffed, looking about himself. They hadn't seen a fan anywhere on the tour… Kakei had said something about it being in the dining hall, but there were no fans like the one in the photo…

He sighed, pulling out the picture and glaring.

The one they needed was black with pink and purple flowers painted upon it… all the ones they had seen were red and white, black and white, red and gold…

Somehow he had a feeling this was going to be one of _those_ jobs…

"Huh?"

The flowers…

He blinked, inspecting the slightly dog-eaten photo closer.

Were the flowers painted on the fan… jasmine…?

No-way, it had to be a coincidence…

Confidently, with false scepticism, he pushed himself to his feet, walking over to glare into the mirror.

"Don't tell me I have to get this fan from a ghost." He muttered, scowling at his reflection, "Maa…"

This was stupid.

He sighed, turning away to lean back onto the cupboard.

"Just once I'd like a _normal_ job…Something where I don't have to mess around with supernatural stuff… and don't have to put up with that jerk for protection…" p

"_Kazahaya_…"

"Huh?" The lighter haired boy blinked.

That voice… it… it couldn't be…

"_Kazahaya_…"

He turned quickly to the mirror, eyes widening. "Kei?"

Almost mistily, the young girl stood shortly behind his reflection, watching him with an eerie smile.

Kazahaya gasped, turning to look behind himself again to find nothing but thin air…

"_Kazahaya, I'm in here_…"

"Kei, what're you?" The lighter haired boy turned back to the mirror, yelling at the image, "How can you be here?"

"_Kazahaya_…" the girl's smile faded, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks, "_Kazahaya, I'm all alone here_…"

She held out her hand.

"_Please… I don't want to be alone_…"

"Kei…" The lighter haired boy scowled in determination, reaching out with a shaky hand to touch the glass… when in a flash the young girl's hand penetrated the barrier as if it were water, grabbing his wrist tightly and pulling him forward. "AH!"

The mirror suddenly glowed a blinding light, Kazahaya finding himself being pulled through…

Then black.

-

"_Kei_…" The lighter haired boy stirred, finding himself laid on the floor of his room.

What had happened?

He groaned, sitting up and looking about.

_Huh? _

But this… this wasn't his room…

No… it was dark here… Dark and… was he transparent?

Everything came flooding back.

"_KEI!_" He gasped, leaping to his feet and looking desperately about, "_KEI? KEI? Where are you?_"

"Thank you Kazahaya."

"_Huh_?"

Kazahaya blinked, turning to the mirror to find his reflection smiling calmly back.

"_But… what are you? What the hell just happened?_"

"I'm sorry for having tricked you… well, not really…" the reflection giggled "I had to take on the form of something dear to you in order to switch."

"_WHAT? Where am I?_"

"In the second dimension."

The real Kazahaya blinked. "_But_…"

"I'll explain if you want…" beamed the reflection, "You see… I've been trapped there for a long time now, and you have no idea how long I've been trying to escape… The only way I could was if I found someone with a special talent… someone who could actually see me… Of course, very few people have the talent I needed… They always caught small glimpses, flickers of my image… but you…"

"_So what've you done? What do you mean 'switch'_?"

"We've swapped dimensions… I needed a body to live in this world, and since mine is long gone-"

"_WHAT?_" Kazahaya yelled, fangs bared, "_If you're in my body, then I…I_…"

The reflection giggled again, "I guess you could say only your spirit exists now…! Your soul's separated from your body, and a body can't share two souls, so…"

"_I'M A GHOST?_" The lighter haired boy charged forward, fists pounding the walls of darkness either side of the mirror, "_YOU BASTARD! HOW CAN YOU MAKE ME A GHOST? GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BODY RIGHT NOW!_"

"Sorry…!"

Kazahaya growled before sighing. "_Fine. But you're the one who's going to have to put up with that jerk, Rikuou._"

"Oh, I'm counting on it."

"_WHAT?_"

"He's very handsome, don't you think?" Kazahaya's reflection put his hands on his hips confidently, "I'm actually quite taken with him… And we would do so well together…"

"_WHAT?_" The lighter haired boy shrieked, pounding the wall again, "_NO! NO WAY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH MY BODY?_"

"I'm sorry about taking your body and lover all at once-"

"_-LOVER? WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'LOVER'?_"

"I'll take care of him. I promise…!" The reflection winked, "Good luck with your new life…! If… you can call it that…"

"_NO, NO, NO! DON'T YOU DARE!_"

"Bye…!"

"_WAIT!_" Kazahaya wailed, banging the wall again.

Suddenly the mirror cracked, the fractures glimmering for a moment before shattering into thousands of pieces.

Silence.

He blinked.

"…… _SHIT!_"

-

Rikuou had gotten back quite late last night, so 'Kazahaya' was already in bed…

…As usual.

Of course, he was always ready to wake up nice and early to wake him up…

…As usual.

His eyes slowly opened as the morning rays shone through the window, sitting up and glaring in the direction of Kazahaya's futon… looked like he was still asleep…

An amused smirk formed on his lips as he pushed himself up, striding over to the 'sleeping form'.

He stopped, standing over him.

Now how was he going to do it today…? It was certainly easier to stand on him with the futon and all…

It was about 5 seconds into his line of thought that he noticed something was amiss.

He pulled the sheet away, blinking.

Pillows? The 'sleeping form' was pillows? But then… where was-

He gasped as a pair of slender arms wrapped around him from behind.

"Huh?"

"Good morning Ri-ku-ou…!" came Kazahaya's sing-song voice.

"What?" The darker haired boy blinked again, sweat dropping. What was he up to?

"Ne, Rikuou?" 'Kazahaya' stood on tip-toes to rest his chin on his companion's shoulder, "How are you feeling today?"

"I think… I should ask you the same thing…"

The lighter haired boy giggled, one hand moving to trace Rikuou's muscular mid-rift, the other, his chest.

"_I_ am fine…!"

"… No, you're acting weird. How come you're up so early anyway?"

"Ah… Did Rikuou want to wake me up?"

"Actually-"

Kazahaya giggled again, pulling away from Rikuou and jumping onto his futon with a defenceless look on his face, lying with his limbs spread suggestively.

Rikuou blinked.

"I hope…" the lighter haired boy moaned, fingers caressing the bed sheets, "Rikuou won't take advantage of me whilst I'm sleeping…"

"……" The darker haired boy crossed his arms, "Have you been drinking?"

"No."

"I don't believe you."

"Mou…" The lighter haired boy pouted. This was hard.

Rikuou headed for the bathroom, "Ok, I'm going down to breakfast as soon as I get changed." He glared at Kazahaya over his shoulder, a small smirk on his lips, "And I hope you sober up by then."

The lighter haired boy giggled, sitting up. "Lets go eat breakfast together Rikuou!"

"…… weirdo."

-

In the second dimension…

"_Nnn_…" Kazahaya stirred, slowly pushing himself up. "_What happ… ah_…"

He was still _there_… man, that sucked…

On the plus side, he had woken up with none of Rikuou's 'assistance'… but the fact he 1.) had no body, 2.) was a ghost, and 3.) had his _real_ body out there doing god-knows-what to / with Rikuou… kind of outweighed that.

He sighed, pushing himself to his feet.

How the hell was he going to get out of there?

-

Rikuou sighed, sitting at a table with the nice old couple (simply because no other tables were available). Anyway, they seemed nice enough… and old people were fairly common in the drug-shop, so he was used to dealing with them.

"Are you on holiday then young man?" The old lady asked cheerfully.

"In a way…"

"Here with your brother?"

The darker haired boy closed his eyes, taking a sip from his orange juice.

"He's not my brother…"

"Oh? Good friends then?"

"We work tog-"

"RIKUOU!"

Rikuou gasped, turning just in time to get glomped by the on coming Kazahaya. The old couple blinked with wide eyes.

"Mou, Rikuou! Why did you walk off like that! I thought we were going to have breakfast together!" The lighter haired boy moaned playfully. He blinked, looking over Rikuou's shoulder at the shocked old couple and giving a bright smile, "Good morning!"

"G-good morning…" The old man stammered.

"Did you say… you worked together?" Managed the old lady.

"Yeah…" The darker haired boy sighed, trying to remove his captor without much success.

"Un! We work together _and_ live together! Ne? Rikuou?"

"…… Get off."

"Okay…!" Kazahaya giggled, collapsing onto the chair beside his companion.

It was great finally having a body again.

-

The real Kazahaya, meanwhile, was exploring the castle.

He had found that during the day time this 'second dimension' was a solid, normal as ever environment… It was just the fact that he was see-through that made it weird.

He had already walked straight through several walls, doors… even one of the geikos…

It was quite interesting at first, but then he had remembered the whole 'there's a bastard spirit out there in my body who's going to hit on Rikuou and I have to stop it' thing.

So his current mission was to find them and do something about it (even though he wasn't certain what that was… he just figured he would deal with it when it happened).

Since it was breakfast, he had concluded everyone was probably in the dining hall…

But he couldn't remember where the dining hall was… He was beginning to wish he had paid more attention on that tour…

-

"Mmm… Rikuou?" Kazahaya moved his hand to brush his companion's hair whilst the latter tried to get on with his meal.

"What?"

"Are we going to… y'know?"

The old couple quickly excused themselves, leaving the table in a hurry. The lighter haired boy's antics had gotten worse as breakfast progressed, and as intriguing as it was, they were beginning to feel a little uncomfortable about it all.

Rikuou glared.

"I hope you were talking about finding the fan."

"Okay, sure...!" Kazahaya beamed, rubbing his cheek affectionately against his companion's shoulder.

The darker haired boy sighed.

Was he trying to call his bluff or something? He really wasn't used to this kind of behaviour, and it was getting a little out of hand. What was he suppose to do, anyway?

Play him at his own game?

Uh… no…

Well, not yet anyway…

"We're leaving tomorrow evening, so we'd better use the time we have left to find it…"

"Find what?"

"THE FAN."

"_Oh_…" The lighter haired boy quickly leaned away, reaching into his pocket to produce the photo, "You mean this fan?"

"YES."

"Ok!"

Rikuou put his hand on his forehead in exasperation.

He had preferred it when he was angry.

-

Kazahaya finally reached the dining hall to find everyone leaving (many walking straight through him).

"_Ok, now where is that jerk_…" He muttered to himself, looking about before spotting Rikuou trying best he could to escape the clinging 'Kazahaya' across the room. He gasped, charging over.

"_YOU BASTARD! GET OFF! GET OFF!_"

The other Kazahaya glared at him briefly before returning to talking at an oblivious Rikuou.

"Ah, ne, ne! Where shall we start looking?" He asked quickly, stroking the dark locks of his companion, "Are we going split up and search? or are we going to stay together…?"

"_BASTARD!_"

"It would be easier to split up. But you always seem to get into some kind of trouble in these jobs… That's just the way you are." Rikuou smirked, "Pretty useless."

The real Kazahaya took a swing at him, his transparent fist passing straight through his jaw.

"_YOU JERK! GREAT JOB YOU DID OF PROTECTING ME THIS TIME!_"

"Ah! You said I was pretty…!" The lighter haired boy squealed in delight, hugging the taller boy tighter.

"I also said you were useless."

"I don't care! As long as I have you to protect me…!"

Kazahaya clutched his hand over his mouth in disgust. "_Ngh_…"

"Okay, we'll search separately." Rikuou pulled away, walking off as quickly as possible.

"Ah, OKAY!" 'Kazahaya' called cheerfully, waving enthusiastically, "Lets meet back here for lunch, ne?"

"Yeah, whatever."

The lighter haired boy blushed happily before proceeding to check the room was empty, then turn to face the real Kazahaya's ghost like form.

"Can I help you?"

"_Yeah, you can stop trying to seduce that jerk and give me back my body!_"

"No. Its my body now." The lighter haired boy smiled evilly, "_I'm_ Kazahaya now."

"_No, I'm Kazahaya and I always will be!_" Kazahaya yelled, before blinking, scowling with his hands on his hips "_Oh yeah, I've been wondering… Which ghost are you anyway? The young girl who fell in love with the village boy?_"

"No."

"_The maid…?_"

"No."

"_The 5yr old boy?_"

"No."

"_The grandfather?_"

"NO."

Kazahaya blinked. "_You can't be… the bunny ghost?_"

"NO! (and hares aren't rabbits!)"

"_Well you're not in the cellar so you can't be the jasmine ghost_…"

"You're right." 'Kazahaya' beamed, "But really… you're kinda right with all of those…"

"_Huh? What do you mean?_"

"Those 'ghosts' that keep getting reported… The people that saw them were really just catching glimpses of my image… I always project myself as the thing the person who sees me wants to see the most…." The lighter haired boy shrugged, "Of course, its so easy to create a ghost story for those sort of things… Now, if you'll excuse me… I've got a fan to find!"

"_OI! Wait!_"

"Bye bye!"

Kazahaya's ghost growled, clenching his fists.

Why couldn't Rikuou be the one to get into trouble for once?

-

Lunchtime…

Rikuou had looked everywhere, even proceeding to ask the geiko if they had seen the item in question with no such luck….

…And he was beginning to wonder if this job was, in fact, a wild goose chase.

Never mind. It was lunchtime now, and maybe Kazahaya (though in an odd state of mind) had had more luck than him.

He sighed, standing at the buffet with his plate in his hands. For an altogether traditional castle, a buffet was the last thing he had expected. At least the food bared some traditional resemblance-

"Rikuou!"

"…"

Kazahaya flung his arms around the darker haired boy's neck, resting his head against his back.

"I missed you so much!"

"Oi, did you find the fan?"

"Nope!"

"Then why are you so cheerful?" Rikuou tried to glare over his shoulder, "No fan, no pay…"

"I guess because we were separated for so long!"

"It hasn't even been five hours. Now get off."

The lighter haired boy backed down, putting his hands behind his back innocently. "Mou, why won't you hug me back?"

"What?"

Kazahaya pouted. This wasn't working. If being cute and submissive wasn't working then he was just going to have to get more dominant….

An evil smile formed on his lips.

-

The real Kazahaya, meanwhile, was contemplating how he was going to escape.

Surely Rikuou had figured out something was wrong by now… or so he kept telling himself to avoid all those unpleasant questions of how he would deal with it all if that fake did manage to seduce that jerk…

He looked about.

This room was empty. It looked a little like the master bedroom with all the extravagant ornaments like the vases, hanging scrolls, fans…

Wait…

He gasped, rushing over to the line of fans mounted on the wall beside from the bed, staring up at the black fan with pink and purple flowers.

"_But? That wasn't there before!_"

Quickly, still lost in confusion, he turned to a mirror across the way to find the fan's reflection wasn't black with purple and pink flowers, but white with green flowers upon it.

"_Ah_…"

The utter 'what-the-hell?' confusion slowly dissolved into the warm familiar 'whatever' confusion he had gotten so used to.

But would he be able to touch it? Actually take it with him if he did manage to escape?

Carefully, he reached out to unhook it from its location, letting out a sigh of relief before turning to see that whilst he had the mirror fan in his hands, the real fan that was through the mirror was still hanging, perfectly still.

He blinked.

"_Weird_…"

-

That evening…

Rikuou (deciding to arrive early) managed to get a table in the corner in the hope that 'Kazahaya' wasn't going to spot him.

It had been a pretty tiring day after all the fun of find-the-fan….

…And avoiding Kazahaya.

Maybe he had absorbed something from this place…

A building as old as that one had to have lots of memories floating around, and he was starting to think that maybe the lighter haired boy had accidentally caught one of them…

He sighed, taking a sip from his drink.

"Good evening _Rikuou_..."

The darker haired boy blinked, eyes widening at the brush of warm air against his ear when a pair of slender arms encircled his waist.

Kazahaya rested his chin on his shoulder, smiling seductively.

"You ran off without me again."

"Really…" Rikuou murmured uncertainly.

"Un, that was mean…" The lighter haired boy gently nibbled on his companion's ear, the latter gasping in shock.

"What… are you doing…?"

Kazahaya giggled quietly. "What? Are you afraid of me or something?"

"Recently you've been acting weird. Do you think you might have touched something to make you like this?"

"Maybe…"

The darker haired boy sighed.

He was really starting to miss the 'old' Kazahaya.

-

The real Kazahaya marched into the dining hall, fan at the ready. He was going to find Rikuou, and he was going make him save him.

NOW.

"_Okay, where are you?_" he muttered, glaring about the place. He had to be in there somewhere…

Then he spotted him.

And his body.

And he also noticed that the impostor was kissing Rikuou's neck whilst the taller boy was trying best he could to get on with his meal.

He gasped, rushing over with fire in his eyes.

"_STOP! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW YOU BASTARD!_"

The other Kazahaya shot him a deadly glare before returning to his 'activity' -ahem-.

"Mmn, Rikuou…"

"_OI! I SAID STOP!_"

Rikuou sighed, getting up and moving to another table "I'm trying to eat."

"_Huh?_" The lighter haired boy blinked. He hadn't given in yet?

…Never mind… He was seriously glad that he hadn't, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel some disappointment at it all…

He sighed, watching Rikuou angrily.

"_Jerk.._."

-

The 'fake' Kazahaya huffed, collapsing on his futon.

He was beginning to wonder if Rikuou was ever going to give in to his advances… Being defenceless didn't work… being dominant didn't work… What was wrong with that guy? He was so complicated, he probably didn't even know what he wanted himself…

The real Kazahaya had followed them around since dinner to keep yelling at the impostor (and Rikuou for not being able to hear him). Unfortunately, it was starting to get dark in the mirror dimension… Just like the night before when he had first entered, his surroundings were starting to fade into darkness as the shadows took over, and it was getting increasingly difficult to see Rikuou or his body.

Rikuou laid back onto his futon, closing his eyes wearily when he suddenly became aware of someone sitting beside him.

He blinked, sitting up to find 'Kazahaya' seated with his back to him.

"What're you doing?"

"Ne… Rikuou?"

"What?"

"Why… don't you like me?"

The darker haired boy pulled the covers away, getting to his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"You… You won't kiss me back… or embrace me… Or touch me at all…." Kazahaya murmured, bowing his head further, "Why not?"

Rikuou glared, walking round to face the smaller boy. "I thought you hated me?"

"Huh?" The lighter haired boy glanced up at him with tearful eyes, "But I…Why would you think that?"

"You always call me a jerk. And yell when I come anywhere near you."

"But you're so handsome…"

"What?" The darker haired boy blinked…

His eyes… So that was it. Slowly, he sat beside his companion in silence.

Kazahaya glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't you… like me?"

Rikuou didn't answer. Carefully he slid an arm around the lighter haired boy, pulling him against him.

"Ah, R-Rikuou?"

"Idiot." He sighed, resting his head against the other's, "Of course I like you…Kazahaya."

'Kazahaya' blinked. When he'd said that name… It hadn't sounded like it was directed at him…

It was convincing, but the way he said it made him feel he was talking to someone else…

Did he… Did he _know_…?

"I'm going for a walk now." The taller boy gently brushed the lighter locks away to press a soft kiss on the surprised Kazahaya's lips, before carefully getting to his feet and walking to the door. "I'll be back later."

"Ah… u-un…" The lighter haired boy blushed, pressing his fingers to his lips.

"Goodnight then."

-

The real Kazahaya had found the trick.

Mirrors.

Ok, so he knew mirrors had something to do with it already, but he hadn't been absolutely certain _what_…

He had discovered that the only way he could see out of this 'second dimension' was to find a mirror and look through it.

He was currently trying to find Rikuou, when he spotted the taller boy walking towards him (a large mirror) in the main corridor.

"_AH! RIKUOU! RIKUOU YOU JERK I'M IN HERE!_" He yelled, tapping the glass as gently as possible to avoid it shattering.

The darker haired boy blinked, looking slowly about himself.

"_THE MIRROR YOU IDIOT!_"

"So there you are." Rikuou smirked walking over to glare at Kazahaya in his reflection.

"_Yeah! A ghost or something's taken over my body and-Huh?_" The lighter haired boy blinked "_What do you mean 'there you are'?_"

"I was wondering where you were. I kind of got the feeling 'you' weren't 'yourself'…"

Kazahaya blinked. "_heh?_"

"Having fun?"

"_NO! I'M STUCK HERE! YOU NEED TO HELP ME GET MY BODY BACK! Ah_…" He held up the fan, "_And I've got this_…"

"Well at least you've been doing something useful all this time…"

"_WHAT WAS THAT?_"

Rikuou smirked.

Oh how he had missed this.

-

After Kazahaya had calmed down, he told Rikuou what had happened in great detail (as well as his own personal disgust at what the impostor had been doing and how Rikuou should've guessed he wasn't him faster than he had, etc, etc.), which eventually lead to them to form a plan.

It was a long shot, but…

A plan's a plan, ne?

-

The next day…

The fake Kazahaya yawned, sitting up.

Rikuou had said they were leaving today… That meant the real Kazahaya wouldn't be able to interfere any more…

And him and Rikuou could be together…

He blinked, looking up to find the darker haired boy hanging up a new mirror. One from the hall.

"A-ano…" He gasped, leaping to his feet, "What're you doing?"

"Hm?" Rikuou turned, smiling, "come here."

"Ah…" The lighter haired boy blinked, looking a little worried.

The taller boy took his hand, lightly pulling him over, "Come here Kazahaya… I want you to see this…"

"Ah, h-hai…"

Rikuou gently put his arms around his companion, the lighter haired boy blushing in surprise.

"Rikuou?"

"Ne… Kazahaya?"

"U-un?"

"I'm sorry for ignoring you…"

"Huh?"

Rikuou smiled, softly cupping his cheek with one hand.

"I said I'm sorry…"

"But…" Kazahaya blinked, gasping as the taller boy leaned down to kiss him passionately.

Now why was he doing that all of a sudden? Had he finally given in?

Never mind… The kiss was so consuming as it was… passionate… fiery… He slowly closed eyes, letting Rikuou fully possess him.

He was so consumed with the moment, he didn't notice the darker haired boy take his hand… He didn't notice him slowly raise it to the mirror… it was only when he felt his fingers touch the cool, smooth glass that he became aware of what was happening, and by then it was too late.

There was a flash of light.

"Mmn…" Kazahaya leaned away, gradually opening his hazy eyes, "……"

Rikuou smirked.

"AH!" The lighter haired boy pulled away, going bright red, "YOU! YOU BASTARD! I THOUGHT WE SAID YOU WEREN'T GOING TO KISS ME?"

"Calm down, the plan worked didn't it?"

"TEME! Huh?" He looked down to find himself clutching the black fan in his left hand, "AH! IT WORKED!"

Rikuou sighed, "Idiot."

Both suddenly became aware of someone sobbing quietly, turning to find Kazahaya's reflection crying happily.

"_Thankyou_…" It whispered, "_I can finally sleep now… Thankyou … Thankyou_…"

The mirror went foggy, the image slowly fading before the glow vanished to reveal nothing but Kazahaya staring back at himself in surprise.

"Heh?"

Rikuou smiled, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight."

-

"It would seem this fan had something to do with a lingering spirit…Now its gone, hopefully so is the ghost problem…Well done Kudou-kun!" Kakei beamed, inspecting the fan, "That's half to you, half to Rikuou."

"HEH? But he didn't get stuck in a mirror dimension! I practically died!" Kazahaya whined.

"Oh, don't be so melodramatic… Now…" Light glinted suspiciously off of the shop owner's glasses, "Why don't you both go and get some sleep?"

The smaller boy sighed, getting to his feet, "Okay…"

-

Above the shop…

Kazahaya stared at himself in the mirror, a melancholy expression washing over his face…

"Stop being so depressing."

"Huh?" He blinked, turning to find Rikuou watching him.

"Think of it this way… You saved whatever it was. Didn't you hear it? It said 'I can sleep now'…" The darker haired boy closed his eyes, "As in… It can rest in peace…"

"Yeah… But I still feel so empty…"

Rikuou sighed.

"Idiot."

"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR? Ah… hey, how did you find out it was me?"

"……" The taller boy turned away, "I just did, ok?"

"Huh? Hey! No you didn't! What was it?" Kazahaya yelled, hounding his companion.

"Shut up and go to sleep."

"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHAT IT WAS! YOU COULDN'T TELL IT WASN'T ME WHEN HE WAS ALL OVER YOU, SO-"

"Eyes."

"Huh?"

Rikuou glared.

"What… do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter. Now leave me alone."

"Eyes…" The lighter haired boy repeated to himself, walking over to his bed and settling down, "What… what about my eyes? Hmm… AH," He gasped, sitting bold upright, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY KISSED ME!"

"SHUT-UP ALREADY."

* * *

**Owari .**


End file.
